Fewer kilos per hectare with finer sorting

Due to the exceptionally dry conditions in 2018, the final harvest was well below the multi-year average. Last year, the crops appeared to have made a reasonable growth spurt at a later stage of the season, resulting in a gross average of 60 tonnes per hectare.

What is striking about the Aviko figures is the lack of coarseness this growing season. It remains to be seen whether the deficit will be made up. Finer potatoes generally come at the expense of the yield in the factory. In a positive sense, the underwater weight stands out. That compensates a little.

The figures regarding the state of potatoes in the Netherlands from Aviko are in line with the results from other sources. For example, the growth curve of this season is often slightly above that of last season, but a small 10% below the multi-year average. The percentage of coarse also lags behind the average of previous years.

racial differences
If we zoom in on the different varieties, Fontane does reasonably well in comparison. The variation in the negative sense of the Innovator variety, which is also popular today (bids are up to €20), is greater. In comparison, the average hectare yield of Agria is quite disappointing.

From a tour of the surrounding countries, the line that is observable in the crops in the Netherlands can be extended to Belgium, where the difference is also between Wallonia (disappointing) and Flanders. In Germany, growers have been able to plant on time in many cases (before 1 May), which is reflected in the generally good condition of the crops. In contrast, the plots planted later are less up.

The coming weeks will show what the final potato harvest of the EU-4 will be and what impact that will have on the further development of the market price. The weather in September will of course also play a role in this.